Feeling Nostalgic for Nolan’s Batman Begins

Unless you were living under a rock (or fell down a well and got trapped inside a cave) yesterday, you’re probably aware that Zack Snyder officially revealed the first look at Ben Affleck in the Batsuit. And of course, I — along with everyone else on the internet — went a little nuts over it. In my write up about the Batmobile/Batsuit reveal, I mentioned how it’s already a little more than ten years since the last time my anticipation for a Batman movie was at this kind of a fever pitch.

Coincidentally, the same day that Snyder tweeted out his Batmobile tease, Cinemax happened to be airing Batman Begins. It had been a while since I sat down with the movie, so I quickly got sucked in. An hour into it, I remembered I had a twitter feed.

Back in 2004, when the first drips and drabs of information from Christopher Nolan’s mysterious Batman movie started to leak, we had no idea what to expect. Though I was able to get my hands on a leaked pdf of the script — which I subsequently read in one sitting — there were aspects of the film that were still open to interpretation. What would Batman sound like or look like? What the hell is a tumbler? What would Christian Bale look like in costume? Remember, like Snyder’s Batfleck photo, our first look at Bale in costume was similarly shrouded in shadow and mystery.

Also like the Affleck reveal, when we first glimpsed the redesigned Nolan suit, you had the same detractors and supporters that you see today. Back then, though, there wasn’t that high a bar to jump to get the fans on your side. This was rebooting the franchise that Batman & Robin sunk, after all. Having the guy who directed Memento and Insomnia meant Warner Brothers was taking Batman back to basics, but no one knew how we were getting there. Then this teaser hit:

That thing gives me chills to this day. No trailer since has nailed the tone and atmosphere in quite the same way. From Bale’s monologue to the haunting music to the rusted Bat logo emerging from the darkness, this trailer promised a cinematic Batman experience unlike any that had come before. We may take the Nolan trilogy for granted now, but these first images — and the anticipation behind seeing a bold, new take on Batman — were revelatory.

Anyway, here’s what I tweeted out while watching Batman Begins the other night. Hope this will hold you over until we get more info on the next incarnation of Batman. Until then, if you’re so inclined, you can follow me on twitter @the_real_chow (that is if you don’t mind occasional tweets about NBA games and other sundry nonsense).

Why didn't Bale stick with his Begins voice? I've never been growl hater, but he should've stuck with the voice he uses in Gordon's office.

For what it’s worth, I always thought it would make more sense for Batman to give him a batarang or something that, ya know, screams “Batman.” Because if li’l Joffrey brings that hi-tech scope to school, not only will kids not believe he met Batman, but he’s totally going to have some bully jack it from him.

No wonder Joffrey turns out to be such a jerk; it’s all Batman’s fault.

So why does Rutgers Hauer fire Lucius Fox again? Other than to setup the "get the memo" punchline at the end if the flick, I mean.

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Published by Keith Chow

Keith is the editor-in-chief of the pop culture blog The Nerds of Color, a co-editor of the Asian American Comics Anthologies Secret Identities and Shattered, host of the podcasts Hard NOC Life, Southern Fried Asian, and DC TV Classics, and one of the founders of WICOMICON.
View all posts by Keith Chow

– Bruce leaves Gotham at 21, returns to don the cowl in 2003 at 28yo … has about 2-years between return/first night and LOS attack;
– League of Shadows attack on Gotham occurs in 2005 on his 30th birthday;
– three year off-screen war on crime;
– events of The Dark Knight occur in 2008, Bruce is 33;
– retirement in 2008 or 2009 after Dent’s death;
– eight year gap;
– Events of The Dark Knight Rises, Bruce is 41.